Last night we had the pleasure of seeing a swallow-tailed kite flying over our house. I was unfamiliar with this medium sized bird of prey which is endangered in North Carolina, but more common in Florida and South America. They feed on insects they catch in flight and lizards and small rodents they snatch from tree tops as they fly by. I didn't have my camera at the time, so I borrowed the photo from the website of Avian Conservation Center to show you what this bird looks like. If you see a swallow-tailed kite you can add your siting to their website.
Temporarily I have all my ceramic supplies piled up in the utility room and my kiln is in the garage. I think I'll keep the kiln in the garage. The room I plan to use as my studio is inside our home so I'll be lucky to have heat and air conditioning. The room is about 12 x 12 and has a 5 foot south facing window. We'll be pulling out the mauve carpet and floral curtains this week. Then we plan on laying vinyl on the concrete floor. Laminate is easier to stand on, but I'm not sure how that would hold up since I'll need to mop the floor to remove the clay dust.
There are two closet doors on the other side of the room, but the closet goes all the way through and is about eight feet in length. There's also a six foot closet in the hall adjacent where I have all my greenware stacked right now. The washer and dryer are in the garage so I can also use the utility room around the corner too. I might put my slab roller in that room and a sink to catch all the clay particles. I'll have to measure to see if the room is large enough for both.
Meanwhile I'm trying to decide what color to paint the room which is currently a drab off-white. In keeping with Florida type colors, I'm wondering if I should paint it a cool aqua or a warm coral. Do I want to be relaxed or energized. Perhaps I want to be both. What do you think? What color is your studio painted? I'll keep you posted as things progress with my studio plans. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
What a beautiful bird the swallow tail kite is! It is one of those lovely ones that makes you want to sprout wings and fly too! Good to see your studio taking shape, it will be a busy time for you settling into your new place, but exciting too. You are sensible to make the decision to go some place once a week to get out and see what is around you, it will help the many jobs that have to be done not seem such a burden. (I should heed that myself sometime!).
ReplyDeleteBest Wishes to you and Gary, P, L, and Ginger
Linda, We painted our studio walls after we rebuilt.
ReplyDeleteWe have a salmon color, a toasted Almond and some green thrown into the mix is some blue.
I love walking in and seeing the bright colors.
My sister when see saw the colors wrote and said, " a retirement home in Fla. wants there paint back."
I would chose bright colors for the room you are working in-
A 12x12 room- you will be making all kinds of stuff!
The bird is great- i have never seen one.
Hi Peter, thanks, yes isn't it a beautiful bird and I was so happy to get to see him and then be able to find out about this bird on the internet; I love learning. Yes I have to stick to my idea about taking a day off once a week; it is too hard for me to fall back into old habits. I hope you do the same.
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, thanks, I had forgotten all about the colors in your studio, but now I remember you posting about them. Yes, bright is probably the ticket. I have been thinking a lot about such colors since we moved here. I have to get my kiln connected up quickly so I can fire what I made to make room for more, one step at a time. Keep your eyes open for one of these birds they are truly something to see.
Hi Linda! So wonderful to read about settling in to your new studio and making it "home." Regarding paint, I found that bright or white is good for the studio. And plenty of light! Best wishes for your new studio!
ReplyDeleteThe swallow tail is so majestic. It's so sad that these brids are endangered in North Carolina. They should be soaring wherever they like. Thank you for posting the pic. About the colors, well, Florida can get hot in July and August, so I'd go for the cool with a bright salmon-like splash, perhaps one wall. I'm not a big fan of aqua per se.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool looking bird! Yaaaay -you are getting closer to being set-up in your own work space that doesn't move!! I would vote for bright white walls because they don't cast colors on the work your doing -you can decorate with bulletin boards (which I can never have enough of!) of your favorite images, ideas etc. or even shelving will probably be covering up most of the walls and white will give it a nice reflective brightness to your peices.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new home. It looks like it will be a lovely place to work.
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia, thanks, I think the south facing window will give lots of light, but now that you mention it, there is no ceiling light, wonder if I should put fluorescent, I hate that humming noise, maybe a ceiling fan with spotlights. I'll ask Gary and see what he says.
ReplyDeleteHi Kittie, thanks, I happen to like aqua, but have actually never used coral. I might have one wall of color and see how that goes, good idea.
Hi Cindy, thanks, I didn't think about them casting color on the work, good idea about the bulletin boards. Maybe I can have colored fabric bulletin boards for some splashes of color.
Hi Connie, thanks, so much, once we get organized I think I'll enjoy it and really appreciate it compared to the motorhome space.
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteYou must be so excited to have a studio - what a nice size space to work in! I would agree with all of the 'bright white' color suggestions so as not to interfere with your glaze colors. Lighting is important too, especially if you're a night owl and like working late. For my basement studio, I replaced the florescent bulbs (which made everything look bluish) with 'daylight' florescent bulbs; creating a more natural light. You'll find that bulletin board with hanging test tiles adds a nice dash of color to the space.
Congratulations on finding a new home!! I just read your previous post and knew this happy news( I was in my hometown for a week)! Your studio sounds great!! I suppose you must be really excited to think of the color of the room, of the floor,etc. Oh I've also got excited about your plan. Cool aqua might be cool!!
ReplyDeletewow! congratulation on your new home. i am sure you are going to make it cozy and beautiful. concerning the color of the walls...I kept the walls off-white because i do not like the color that surround me to have an impact on my work, especially that the sun-light is very bright and sharp here.
ReplyDeletethanks for your comment, I might try too put one of the bowl in the next kiln for refiring, although I fear that if the reason is a thick layer, then refiring won't help :-(
Hi Sue, thanks, it seems the bright white is winning out and I am thinking I can do a few acrylic paintings like I did for my last house with some color to give a little pop to the space. I also have some ideas for bright pottery so that will lend color to the room too. I knew about daylight fluorescent, but completely forgot about them, thanks for the reminder. Oh and the test tiles, I have some of them and forgot about them too, Ha, thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Sapphire, thanks so much, I knew you'd appreciate one of those cool colors. I did an aqua acrylic painting for my last house and inadvertently left it there, so I want to make another and am looking forward to it gracing a wall here in this home.
Hi Varda, thanks so much, looks like white is winning out and I appreciate your opinion. Perhaps you can try firing one bowl, the one you think has the thickest overlap to see what happens. Hope it works out for you.